In this chapter, Marsha Barsky and Robert Barsky combined forces to suggest that the Bakhtinian c... more In this chapter, Marsha Barsky and Robert Barsky combined forces to suggest that the Bakhtinian conception of the modernist condition is discernable, but it’s situated in his approach to dialogism, which offers a distinctly modern approach to the relationship between bodies in space and in time. Part of this approach involves a careful examination of the self in relation to the body, the other, and the surrounding environment. Kliger envisions this process in a literary realm, in which “even the most abstract and lifeless of objects” are animated and endowed “with a temporal trajectory of a hero,” allowing for an engagement with abstract or “objectless” art (553). This is interesting as regards literary texts, but it’s even more applicable to bodies moving in space, and with time, for which modern dance provides a particularly salient microcosm.
One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments ... more One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments so that students develop, integrate, and hone a holistic, embodied sense of self. In order to achieve this objective, I strive to help students connect their movement to their ongoing thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. In this article, I describe the work that I have developed in relation to M.M. Bakhtin’s dialogism and the practice-based approach of F.M. Alexander. I suggest that while these objectives are readily attainable in dance technique classes and somatic-specific courses, the process is decidedly more challenging during the dance rehearsal. In an effort to design a somatic-based learning environment that supports the rehearsal process, this article describes work on self-other relations and the conveyance of meaning through embodied movement, with an eye to creating an approach to the rehearsal process that focuses on embodiment and dialogism
The Alexander Technique, based on the writings and teachings of F. M. Alexander, is a process of ... more The Alexander Technique, based on the writings and teachings of F. M. Alexander, is a process of learning how to move with more ease, freedom, efficiency, support and balance. The technique encourages reliable integration and coordination of the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual spheres, by awakening and refining sensory awareness. It promotes a deep understanding to the means whereby we respond to stimuli, thus fostering a harmonious relationship to Self. The essence of the Alexander Technique is movement, and as the process of learning and understanding the technique unfolds, the potential for free and unfettered movement is experienced in the entire being. Modern dancers, in particular might be drawn to the Alexander Technique since the very nature and origins of modern dance deal with the freedom of self- expression in motion. Modern dancers are adept negotiators of the body, and in their work they explore a whole range of movements and facets of moving. Through diligent...
Introduction How to use this book 1. The Body - The basis for dance Everything needs a name - The... more Introduction How to use this book 1. The Body - The basis for dance Everything needs a name - The anatomical nomenclature of movement The Composition of Tissues The Skeletal System: Bones, Cartilage and Joints The Muscles - The Motor of Movement The Nervous System - The Body's Conductor 2. The Spine - The whole is more than the sum of its parts 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A closer look - Self-Analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 3. The Pelvis as the Centre 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 4. The Hip - A Joint with Consequences... 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-Analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 5. Standing Firm - The Knee as Coordination Unit 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-analysis Tips and tricks for prevention 6. The Foot as a Base 3-D Anatomy Dance in focus: Load and overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 7. Shoulders and Arms - Stability Despite Mobility 3-D Anatomy Dance in focus: load and overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 8. Dancing with Heart and Soul Demands on the psyche Dancing as profession and mission Life after dance 9. Nutrition - An Important Aspect of Training The components of nutrition Drinking - the body's source of water Eating disorders - it's all about weight 10. Dance and Growth The Basics of Growth All in Good Time - What Can be Trained, and When? Growth and dance have an impact on each other 11. Help and Self-Help - Dealing with Injuries Inflammation and Healing - The Natural Course of Injuries First aid in the dance studio Muscle Injuries Tendon injuries Bone injuries Each Injury has consequences 12. Dancing the Smart Way - How to Plan Training Flexibility - stretching is a part of dance Endurance - The Basis for High Performance Warming up and cooling down Training - the timing matters Recovery - after dancing is before dancing Building up and easing down Further Reading Weblinks
Often called the Picasso, Stravinsky, or Frank Lloyd Wright of the dance world, Martha Graham rev... more Often called the Picasso, Stravinsky, or Frank Lloyd Wright of the dance world, Martha Graham revolutionized ballet stages across the globe. Using newly discovered archival sources, award-winning choreographer and dance historian Mark Franko reframes Graham's most famous creations, those from the World War II era, by restoring their rich historical and personal context. Graham matured as an artist during the global crisis of fascism, the conflict of World War II, and the post-war period that ushered in the Cold War. Franko focuses on four of her most powerful works, American Document (1938), Appalachian Spring (1944), Night Journey (1948), and Voyage (1953), tracing their connections to Graham's intense feelings of anti-fascism and her fascination with psychoanalysis. Moreover, Franko explores Graham's intense personal and professional bond with dancer and choreographer Erick Hawkins. The author traces the impact of their constantly changing feelings about each other and about their work, and how Graham wove together strands of love, passion, politics, and myth to create a unique and iconically American school of choreography and dance.
In this chapter, Marsha Barsky and Robert Barsky combined forces to suggest that the Bakhtinian c... more In this chapter, Marsha Barsky and Robert Barsky combined forces to suggest that the Bakhtinian conception of the modernist condition is discernable, but it’s situated in his approach to dialogism, which offers a distinctly modern approach to the relationship between bodies in space and in time. Part of this approach involves a careful examination of the self in relation to the body, the other, and the surrounding environment. Kliger envisions this process in a literary realm, in which “even the most abstract and lifeless of objects” are animated and endowed “with a temporal trajectory of a hero,” allowing for an engagement with abstract or “objectless” art (553). This is interesting as regards literary texts, but it’s even more applicable to bodies moving in space, and with time, for which modern dance provides a particularly salient microcosm.
One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments ... more One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments so that students develop, integrate, and hone a holistic, embodied sense of self. In order to achieve this objective, I strive to help students connect their movement to their ongoing thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. In this article, I describe the work that I have developed in relation to M.M. Bakhtin’s dialogism and the practice-based approach of F.M. Alexander. I suggest that while these objectives are readily attainable in dance technique classes and somatic-specific courses, the process is decidedly more challenging during the dance rehearsal. In an effort to design a somatic-based learning environment that supports the rehearsal process, this article describes work on self-other relations and the conveyance of meaning through embodied movement, with an eye to creating an approach to the rehearsal process that focuses on embodiment and dialogism
The Alexander Technique, based on the writings and teachings of F. M. Alexander, is a process of ... more The Alexander Technique, based on the writings and teachings of F. M. Alexander, is a process of learning how to move with more ease, freedom, efficiency, support and balance. The technique encourages reliable integration and coordination of the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual spheres, by awakening and refining sensory awareness. It promotes a deep understanding to the means whereby we respond to stimuli, thus fostering a harmonious relationship to Self. The essence of the Alexander Technique is movement, and as the process of learning and understanding the technique unfolds, the potential for free and unfettered movement is experienced in the entire being. Modern dancers, in particular might be drawn to the Alexander Technique since the very nature and origins of modern dance deal with the freedom of self- expression in motion. Modern dancers are adept negotiators of the body, and in their work they explore a whole range of movements and facets of moving. Through diligent...
Introduction How to use this book 1. The Body - The basis for dance Everything needs a name - The... more Introduction How to use this book 1. The Body - The basis for dance Everything needs a name - The anatomical nomenclature of movement The Composition of Tissues The Skeletal System: Bones, Cartilage and Joints The Muscles - The Motor of Movement The Nervous System - The Body's Conductor 2. The Spine - The whole is more than the sum of its parts 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A closer look - Self-Analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 3. The Pelvis as the Centre 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 4. The Hip - A Joint with Consequences... 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-Analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 5. Standing Firm - The Knee as Coordination Unit 3-D Anatomy Dance in Focus: Load and Overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-analysis Tips and tricks for prevention 6. The Foot as a Base 3-D Anatomy Dance in focus: Load and overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 7. Shoulders and Arms - Stability Despite Mobility 3-D Anatomy Dance in focus: load and overload Pitfalls in Dance A Closer Look - Self-analysis Tips and Tricks for Prevention 8. Dancing with Heart and Soul Demands on the psyche Dancing as profession and mission Life after dance 9. Nutrition - An Important Aspect of Training The components of nutrition Drinking - the body's source of water Eating disorders - it's all about weight 10. Dance and Growth The Basics of Growth All in Good Time - What Can be Trained, and When? Growth and dance have an impact on each other 11. Help and Self-Help - Dealing with Injuries Inflammation and Healing - The Natural Course of Injuries First aid in the dance studio Muscle Injuries Tendon injuries Bone injuries Each Injury has consequences 12. Dancing the Smart Way - How to Plan Training Flexibility - stretching is a part of dance Endurance - The Basis for High Performance Warming up and cooling down Training - the timing matters Recovery - after dancing is before dancing Building up and easing down Further Reading Weblinks
Often called the Picasso, Stravinsky, or Frank Lloyd Wright of the dance world, Martha Graham rev... more Often called the Picasso, Stravinsky, or Frank Lloyd Wright of the dance world, Martha Graham revolutionized ballet stages across the globe. Using newly discovered archival sources, award-winning choreographer and dance historian Mark Franko reframes Graham's most famous creations, those from the World War II era, by restoring their rich historical and personal context. Graham matured as an artist during the global crisis of fascism, the conflict of World War II, and the post-war period that ushered in the Cold War. Franko focuses on four of her most powerful works, American Document (1938), Appalachian Spring (1944), Night Journey (1948), and Voyage (1953), tracing their connections to Graham's intense feelings of anti-fascism and her fascination with psychoanalysis. Moreover, Franko explores Graham's intense personal and professional bond with dancer and choreographer Erick Hawkins. The author traces the impact of their constantly changing feelings about each other and about their work, and how Graham wove together strands of love, passion, politics, and myth to create a unique and iconically American school of choreography and dance.
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